Cyprus education system under fire following poor PISA results

The Cypriot Parliamentary Committee on Education held an urgent session on October 14, 2026, to address disappointing results from the latest PISA student assessment. Data released on September 8 indicates that 62% of students fall below the basic level in reading comprehension, 53% lack essential mathematics skills, and the country ranks last in science. Committee President Chrysanthos Savvides described these findings as alarming, noting that the performance gap between Cyprus and the European average is widening.

Ministry of Education representatives, including Deputy Director of Secondary Education Giorgos Koutsidis, acknowledged the poor performance but argued that the tests do not fully reflect school life. Data shows that 25% of student responses were completed in under ten seconds, and 4% remained unanswered, leading officials to investigate whether students perceive these assessments as a chore. Teacher organizations, such as OELMEK, reported a lack of preparation for international assessments and argued that curricula are not designed to support such testing.

In response to the crisis, the Ministry is considering new incentives for student participation and is planning to introduce courses on artificial intelligence, robotics, and technology. Proposed reforms include reducing the curriculum load and improving teacher training to boost literacy and mathematical skills.